East County is a region of

San Diego County, California San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...

, east of

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

Geography

East County does not have an official geographic definition, although East County boundaries are unofficially drawn by the County of San Diego for its second district. It commonly includes

El Cajon El Cajon ( , ; Spanish: El Cajón, meaning "the box") is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, east of downtown San Diego. The city takes its name from Rancho El Cajón, which was in turn named for the box-like shape of the va ...

, La Mesa, Lemon Grove and Santee, as well as suburban and rural unincorporated communities such as Lakeside, Spring Valley, Jamul, and

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...

. Many sources also include vast swaths of the

backcountry In the United States, a backcountry or backwater is a geographical area that is remote, undeveloped, isolated, or difficult to access. Terminology Backcountry and wilderness within United States national parks The National Park Service (NPS) ...

of San Diego County also known as the

Mountain Empire The Mountain Empire is a rural area in southeastern San Diego County, California. The Mountain Empire subregion consists of the backcountry communities in southeastern San Diego County. The area is also sometimes considered part of the East Count ...

, including communities along

Interstate 8 Interstate 8 (I-8) is an Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the southwestern United States. It runs from the southern edge of Mission Bay (San Diego), Mission Bay at Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in San Diego, San Diego, Californi ...

such as Pine Valley and Descanso, and communities along the rural section of

California State Route 94 State Route 94 (SR 94) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that is long. The western portion, known as the Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway, begins at Interstate 5 (I-5) in Downtown San Diego and continues to the end of the ...

such as Potrero,

Boulevard A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway. Boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former city walls. In American usage, boulevards may ...

, and Jacumba. Other sources consider communities within the entire eastern two-thirds of the county to be East County, thereby encompassing places like

Ramona ''Ramona'' is a 1884 American novel written by Helen Hunt Jackson. Set in Southern California after the Mexican–American War, it portrays the life of a mixed-race Scottish– Native American orphan girl, who suffers racial discrimination and ...

, Julian, and

Borrego Springs Borrego Springs (''Borrego'', Spanish for "Sheep") is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. The population was 3,429 at the 2010 census, up from 2,535 at the 2000 census, made up of both seasonal and year-round resid ...

, The Ramona area—Ramona,

San Diego Country Estates San Diego Country Estates, commonly referred to as ''the Estates'', is a valley resort populace composed of several neighborhoods associated with the unincorporated community of Ramona, California. The Estates are a census-designated place in Nort ...

and Barona Mesa—is often considered part of inland North County due to its association with Rancho Bernardo, Escondido and other North County Inland communities. The populace of East County primarily dwells in the interior valleys east of San Diego proper while some development encroaches on the coastal foothills. A broader definition of East County exists that includes the

Cuyamaca Mountains The Cuyamaca Mountains (Kumeyaay: ''‘Ekwiiyemak''), locally the Cuyamacas, are a mountain range of the Peninsular Ranges System, in San Diego County, southern California. The mountain range runs roughly northwest to southeast. The Laguna Mounta ...

and the

Laguna Mountains The Laguna Mountains are a mountain range of the Peninsular Ranges System in eastern San Diego County, southern California. The mountains run in a northwest/southeast alignment for approximately . The mountains have long been inhabited by the i ...

, as well as the desert area of

Anza-Borrego State Park Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (, '' AN-zə bə-RAY-goh'') is a California State Park located within the Colorado Desert of southern California, United States. The park takes its name from 18th century Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and ...

. Yet, this definition, when used by SANDAG, excludes the ''East Suburban'' centers. Prominent geologic formations include

El Cajon Mountain El Cajon Mountain, commonly known as El Capitan or El cap, is a mountain in the Cuyamaca Mountains, and prominent natural landmark in the East County of San Diego. Geography The summit of El Cajon Mountain is at . The mountain is almost complete ...

, a large, dome-shaped mountain overlooking Santee and Lakeside, as well as Iron Mountain and Mount Woodson that overlook Poway.

Demographics

East County is the fourth most populous region in the San Diego metropolitan area, though its population is close to that of South Bay.

Populated places

Populations listed are 2010 Census populations:

Incorporated cities

– 99,478 * La Mesa – 57,065 * Santee – 53,413 * Lemon Grove – 25,320

Unincorporated CDPs

* La Presa – 34,169 * Spring Valley – 28,205 * Rancho San Diego – 21,208 * Lakeside – 20,648 * Winter Gardens – 20,631 * Casa de Oro-Mount Helix - 18,762 *

– 14,236 * Jamul – 6,163 *

Harbison Canyon Harbison Canyon is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. Harbison Canyon had a population of 3,841 as of the 2010 census, up from 3,645 as of the 2000 census. Geography According to the United States Geological Survey ( ...

– 3,841 * Granite Hills – 3,035 * Crest – 2,593 * Pine Valley – 1,510 * Descanso – 1,423

Education

Primary and secondary schools

East County is served by Santee School District,

Grossmont Union High School District The Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) is a public school district located in eastern San Diego County, California, and serves high school, adult school, and Regional Occupational Program (ROP) students in the cities of El Cajon, Le ...

, Cajon Valley Union School District, Lakeside Union School District, Lemon Grove School District, Poway Unified School District.

Higher education

Grossmont College Grossmont College is a public community college in El Cajon, California. Its name originated with the silent film actor and producer William J. Gross, who was enticed by Ed Fletcher to invest the purchase of land, part of which was called Grossmo ...

, located in El Cajon, and

Cuyamaca College Cuyamaca College is a public community college in Rancho San Diego, California. It is part of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District and the California Community Colleges System. Along with Grossmont College, it serves the eastern sub ...

, located in Rancho San Diego, are two

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior s ...

s in the East County region.

San Diego Christian College San Diego Christian College (SDCC) is a private, evangelical college in Santee, California, a suburb of San Diego. Founded in 1970, SDCC offers traditional, non-traditional, and graduate programs. History In January 1970, Tim F. LaHaye, pastor ...

is located in Santee. Berean Bible College is located in Poway.

Landmarks

Important landmarks in East County included

El Capitan El Capitan ( es, El Capitán; "the Captain" or "the Chief") is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith is about from base to summit along its tal ...

, Mt. Helix,

Santee Lakes Santee may refer to: People * Santee Dakota, a subgroup of the Dakota people, of the U.S. Great Plains * Santee (South Carolina), a Native American people of South Carolina Places * Lake Santee, Indiana, a reservoir and census-designated plac ...

Sweetwater Reservoir Sweetwater Reservoir is a artificial lake in San Diego County, California, formed by the Sweetwater Dam on the Sweetwater River. Construction of the dam was completed in 1888. Environment The area surrounding the reservoir is home to several s ...

, Poway's Tony Gwynn Statue, Lake Poway, and

Lake Cuyamaca Lake Cuyamaca, also called Cuyamaca Reservoir, is a reservoir and a recreation area in the eastern Cuyamaca Mountains, located in eastern San Diego County, California. Geography California State Route 79 wraps around three shores, and provides ...

. Image:View_of_El_Capitan_from_Santee's_Sky_Ranch.jpg, El Capitan Image:Sweetwaterriver1.jpg, Sweetwater Reservoir

References

External links

{{California * . Regions of California . . . . .